UK driver has been waiting more than a year for his provisional licence

A learner driver has been waiting more than a year to be issued with his provisional licence after a catalogue of delays from the DVLA.

Gareth Atkins, 21, has been told the licence is finally on its way - after 14 months.

A car given to him by his sister has been sitting on his drive for a year waiting to be used and the battery is now flat.

Gareth from Higham near Gravesend, Kent, has had his life ‘’turned upside down’’ by the endless wait.

The government website says it should only take a week for a new licence to arrive and Gareth, who works in catering, first submitted his application in February 2021.

The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency says it could take longer if additional checks need to be made but Gareth says the agency have been ‘’back-tracking’’ on promises.

In October he was told the form was still with the medical team because he had an eye condition called nystagmus, which affects the eye muscles, but he was treated for it when he was younger and is no longer affected by it.

He said: “Why has it taken a year when I have been told by doctors since I was three years old that there would be no problems with me driving?

“They are using a medical condition that has not been affecting my life. It is an excuse.

"I have now just given up. It limits the jobs I can apply for – it has turned my life upside down.

"It is annoying. I have a car sitting on the driveway that I cannot drive.

"It has been ridiculous and has become very frustrating. I just have aspirations of being free."

He can track his application online and it was still showing up in a process which is more than a year old.

He added: "It has made it so much harder to keep up with the studying for the theory test and get the driving practice in.

"Some driving schools are completely a no-go if you do not have the physical licence – they say you are not going anywhere.

"I have been using public transport but it is becoming more expensive. It limits the amount of work I can do when looking further afield."

Gareth has been working in the catering industry for the past few years but says not driving makes it difficult to get home after finishing a late shift.

He said: "I was working in The George at Meopham and the late bus would be at 8-9pm which would not be late enough for when I finish.

"It was difficult when I was working elsewhere too when I would not get home until midnight. If I had a car I could have got home at least two hours earlier."

Gareth's car has been out of action for so long the battery is flat, and he lost the money on a bulk-booking of lessons made for his birthday last year.

Yesterday the agency called him to let him know his licence was finally on its way.

Gordon Henderson, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, said: "I have had a number of complaints about the DVLA which I have raised with ministers, most recently last week to the Roads Minister, Baroness Vere, who has promised to look into my concerns."

A DVLA spokesman, who said he was not commenting on a specific case said: "When considering an application to issue a driving licence we aim to make a decision as quickly as possible.

“However more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed, will take longer.

"Where we require additional information from a driver’s doctor or need the driver to take an assessment we are wholly reliant on receiving this information before a decision can be made."

The agency also says it has also recruited more staff, increased overtime and opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times for customers and are issuing around 200,000 driving licences each week.

The DVLA, based in Swansea, has been beset with problems processing licences during the pandemic.

In August 2021 the part of the agency that deals with medical conditions was beset by a strike over Covid safety for a whole month.